Sunday Mail (UK)

Trying to get back in game like banging head against a brick wall

GARRY KENNETH ON HIS BATTLE TO SAVE CAREER

- Scott McDermott

It’s an arduous journey from Elgin to Dundee for Garry Kenneth.

A course on how to work the industrial machinery he sells in his new job is a far cry from life as a profession­al footballer.

The long drive means he might miss a training session that night with Stenhousem­uir where there may be a chance to pull on his boots again.

But whether he likes it or not, right now a sales executive role at Access Platforms is his priority.

He has bills to pay, kids to look after. At the same time the four-hour trek down the A9 gives him a chance to reflect on what might have been.

The former Dundee United centreback has only just turned 31.

At 18 he was being linked with a move to Chelsea after starring in a Scottish Cup Final at Hampden.

Five years later he lifted the trophy for his boyhood club. That’s when Craig Levein handed him a Scotland cap that at the time felt like the first of many only to end up just one of two. So where did it all go wrong? A cruciate knee injury at Bristol Rovers in 2012 was probably the start of the downward spiral.

But he accepts now his ill-advised decision to leave Tannadice for England was a pivotal moment in his career.

Since leaving Rovers in 2013 he has gone from Brechin City to Australia, from Latvia to the Lowland League.

Now he’s trying to juggle a new job with somehow getting back in the game.

Kenneth has never been the type to feel sorry for himself.

Still, he can’t help but feel a sense of frustratio­n at the lack of opportunit­y he faced when returning to Scotland, something he’s still experienci­ng.

He told MailSport: “Sometimes I look back and just think, ‘ Why me?’

“But I just had to get on with it. You have to play the cards you’re dealt, there’s no point in dwelling on it.

“I’m a bit sick that there seems to be other people in the game who get chance after chance after chance.

“I got one and that was it. But that’s life, I have to get on with it.

“I’m only 31 and it doesn’t seem that long ago since I played for Scotland. That’s difficult to get your head around.

“Obviously I hoped to kick on from there and take my game to a new level. But it hasn’t happened for me.

“Right now I’m not fit enough to go in somewhere and play straight away.

“But I could go in, train and give a good account of myself. There might still be some hope for me. When you’re not playing football you have to accept the fact you need a job.

“I’ve had umpteen offers but trying to find the right one when football is all I know, that’s tough.

“What am I good at? What do I enjoy? When you’ve played all your life you don’t have knowledge of proper work in terms of trying to make a living.”

Kenneth was a sought- af ter defender at Dundee United with the club rating him a £ 2million player and rejecting bids from the likes of then- Championsh­ip side Blackpool.

The centre- back opted to let his contract run down in the hope of securing a big move down south.

But the switch to the Memorial Stadium at the age of 25 was riddled with injuries and bad luck.

He said: “Leaving Dundee United was the biggest turning point in my career because not much has happened for me since then. I don’t really know

You have to play cards you’re dealt... I’m a bit sick there seems to be other people in the game who get chance after chance after chance. I got one and that was it. But that’s life, I have to get on with it

what I was thinking when I left Dundee United. Without naming any names I was misadvised at the time.

“It wasn’t really a decision I wanted to take. In fact, it was the last thing I wanted to do.

“But everyone said I should chase the money and a few other things went on that led to me leaving the club. That’s played a big part in where I am now.

“Then I ruptured my cruciate in the new manager John Ward’s first game down at Rovers.

“That was another bit of bad luck. All of these things just added up.”

Before he knew it Kenneth was playing at Glebe Park then at junior level with Carnoustie Panmure.

A spell with Australian outfit Adamstown Rosebud looked to have kickstarte­d his career only for cruel fortune to strike again.

And after being full of optimism signing on at Europa League hopefuls Skonto Riga three years ago, not being paid any wages by the Latvians was the final straw just a few months later with Forfar and Selkirk next up for the stopper.

Kenneth said: “I loved it in Australia. It was part-time but what an experience.

“The people were so friendly, the weather was amazing, I was treated brilliantl­y over there. “If my kids had been with me I wouldn’t have lef t. But I injured my hamstring and whi le I was out I got a call to go on trial with Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners. “There were only a few weeks left in the A-League season and I was gutted. That could have been a massive turning point for me.

“I was back for a few weeks and went to Riga. I enjoyed the place and it was the fittest I’d been in a long time.

“But it went t*** up when I wasn’t getting paid. They kept telling me the wages would be in tomorrow... then the next day... then the next.

“Eventually the manager told me the same thing again at training one day and at that point I just picked up my boots and walked away.

“None of the players were getting paid and I was on the flight home before they’d finished training that day.

“It was difficult being away from the family for months between Australia and Latvia. I felt like I was just chasing ways to get my career back on track.

“Playing in the juniors was hard but I liked it. Obviously a few guys had a go at me because of who I am and where I’ve been but you’re always going to get that. Some boys tried to smash me but it didn’t bother me.”

Kenneth doesn’t have that luxury now as he settles into his new sales gig.

He’s convinced it’s not too late for him to get back playing at a decent level.

Even if he doesn’t, the caps and Scottish Cup still mean he’ll have achieved more than most.

He said: “Listen, I have unbelievab­le memories I wouldn’t change for the world. I played in Scottish Cup finals and I won the trophy for my boyhood heroes. I went on to play for my country.

“You could give me all the money in the world and I wouldn’t swap those moments.

“Of course I feel really frustrated at how my career has panned out – I should still be playing at a good level.

“And hopefully there’s still a chance for me.”

 ??  ?? JOHNSTON left frustrated
JOHNSTON left frustrated
 ??  ?? WALL OF FAME Kenneth’s success at Dundee United led to two Scotland caps, one of which came against Faroe Islands at Pittodrie in 2010
WALL OF FAME Kenneth’s success at Dundee United led to two Scotland caps, one of which came against Faroe Islands at Pittodrie in 2010

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